Saturday, May 28, 2011 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM (PDT)

Ticket Information

Event Details

May 26: Due to an overwhelming response, we have released more tickets to the event. Please reserve your ticket as soon as possible, as walk-ins will be limited.

City launches multimedia campaign for public feedback on migrant workers.

For the first time, City Councillors, community representatives and residents have the opportunity to discuss the temporary foreign workers program and its impact on Vancouver.This event aims to introduce and address key issues around the program, and generate constructive feedback for improvements.

Join us for an introductory film screening and public dialogue in the Alice Mackay room of the Vancouver Public Library Central location at 3:30 pm on May 28, 2011. This event is free and open to everyone.

Please reserve your free ticket as space for walk-ins will be limited. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

For more information on the project, please visit www.tfwvancouver.ca

or emailinfo@tfwvancouver.ca

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119070064841301

Project background:

“We
want to create community dialogue about the TFWP in Vancouver
because discussion abouttemporary foreign workers isunder-represented in the public sphere,” said Baldwin Wong, social
planner for the City of Vancouver.

In 2007,
employers in British Columbia recruited 29,006 migrant workers through the TFWP
to work in various industries such as hospitality, food and beverage,
construction and care-giving for seniors and children. Canada accepts more
than double the amount of TFWs than any other immigrant stream such as refugees
and permanent residents.

“We work so
hard but we don’t even know our rights here in Canada,” said Junko Ota-Paul, a
former temporary foreign worker who came in through the Live-in Caregiver
Program. “We take care of children for $8.00 per hour, a difficult
salary to survive with,” she said.

Because of the
heavy reliance on temporary foreign workers
in B.C., the Vancouver Mayor’s Working
Group on Immigration has initiated a multi-media project
engaging with researchers and community organizers to
investigate migrant workers’ experiences and their impact on the
City. Under the project, a documentary filmwill be produced, as
well as a website, blogs and audio slideshows that showcase the
stories of TFWs in Vancouver.

“There is not
enough public debate about the policies of the Temporary Foreign Worker
Program,” said City Councillor Geoff Meggs, co-chair of the Mayor's
Working Group, in an interview for the film. “But they
contribute so much to the economy and we don’t even know if they live in
sub-standard housing” he added.

The Mayor’s
Working Group said that the multimedia report and community dialogue might
spark policy discussion and changes.

Saturday, May 28, 2011 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM (PDT)

Organizer

TFW Vancouver

Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Vancouver is a local network of community representatives, policy makers, advocacy groups and citizens that aims to build stronger awareness of temporary workers' rights and experiences living and working in Vancouver.